The Kuznetsov concept emphasized localized protection for ballistic-missile submarine operating areas against NATO naval attack. Those bastions were more geographically contained than the broad and exposed claims China seeks to cover in the South China Sea. A Taiwan operation would impose still more demanding air and amphibious-warfare requirements. The inherited Soviet carrier model could start Chinese carrier aviation, but it could not be transferred unchanged to China's strategic problems.
Notable Point · 19:18-20:58
Why a Soviet bastion carrier did not fully fit Chinese needs
A carrier designed to defend Soviet submarine bastions faced different demands in China's exposed maritime claims and regional contingencies.